“There is always more to be said about success, but here’s a decent baseline definition: Success is habituated non-failure. That’s what makes it safe to walk around puppies.”
The building I lived in was a mini-United Nations in beehive form – that plus opera singers. Notably, we had two distinct populations of refugees, very dark Haitians fleeing Papa Doc’s predations and very white South Africans evading the eternal peace plans of Winnie Mandela. They set themselves apart among all New Yorkers by speaking in whispers – the indicia of paranoia – camouflaged, I’m sure they thought, by their languages.
Not so much, as it turns out, if you make the mistake of speaking near me. I’m not an eavesdropper, per se, but I am very much a scavenger of small, arcane details: It’s the stuff of good fiction. I had enough French in those days that the Haitians had no secrets from me, and Afrikaans is Dutch is English. Whichever spies they were hiding from surely overheard them, too.
I muse on all this now, with both Haiti and South Africa in the news. South Africa may have fallen by now, and Haiti has yet to rise – ever. Marxists versus the sane? Grasshoppers devouring Ants? Cads overwhelming the few remaining Dads? Or is it just bad luck that shunts Nemesis to the places that can suffer her least?
In other news:
Redfin.com: Homebuyer Competition Eases in June as More Homes Hit the Market.
The New York Post: DNC, Biden allies want phone carriers to vet anti-vax messages: report.
Victoria Taft: Democrats Move to Take Over Your Credit Score and Go Full ‘Woke’ – Just Like Communist China.
Daniel Payne: Sharp increase in police resignations after Black Lives Matter protests in 2020: study.
Brad Polumbo: Exclusive: Cuban Activist Explains What’s Really Motivating the Cuban People’s Uprising.
Citizen Free Press: South Africa looks like Civil War…
J.D. Tucille: Do People Want Their Pre-Pandemic Freedom Back? Polling finds wide support for draconian lockdowns and permanent restrictions.
The Federalist: It’s Not Enough To Fight Critical Race Theory In Schools. We Must Replace It With Excellence.
